


Starry Skies

by brumalbreeze, Shaples



Category: Free!
Genre: First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Missed Connections, Rei's birthday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 00:59:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5437562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brumalbreeze/pseuds/brumalbreeze, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaples/pseuds/Shaples
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tokyo > Personals > Missed Connections > Dec 13: m4m – You returned my wallet; we talked about the stars.</p><p>Half a collaboration fic with <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/users/brumalbreeze">brumalbreeze</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Starry Skies

**Author's Note:**

> My half of a collab with [brumalbreeze](http://archiveofourown.org/users/brumalbreeze) for Rei's birthday, 2015: A Love Story in Two Parts. The two stories cover the same two day period - the day before Rei's birthday and the day of. This one is told from Rei's perspective, and hers (which you can find [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5437211)) is told from Nagisa's. Where they overlap, Rei's dialogue is mine, and Nagisa's is hers.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Rei found the bakery on the north side of the train station. Half an hour before, Rin had kicked him unceremoniously out of their apartment with an address (no directions), money (too much), and the hasty instructions to go buy himself a birthday cake (despite the fact that neither of them were overly fond of sweets). He knew that it was Rin’s rough approximation of an apology for the fact that he was going to miss Rei’s actual birthday, but he couldn’t suppress the little prickle of irritation as he pushed open the bakery door, braced for the cloying smell of melted chocolate and vanilla cakes.

But it didn’t come. The bakery was steamy and warm, especially after the cold outside, but it smelled more like coffee and baked bread than sugar. Toward the front of the shop, the displays were filled with extravagant, western-style cakes, but farther in there was a mix of more traditional Japanese confections and baked goods. He stepped around someone making for the exit, then headed for the back of the shop, instinctively moving toward the bread display.

A simple milk bread or maybe a melonpan was about as extravagant a treat as he ever indulged in, but when he stopped in front of the shelves, he hesitated. Rin _had_ said cake, specifically, and though he’d sent him to buy it himself, it _was_ Rin’s money. He’d probably throw a fit if Rei came home with a bag of assorted sweet rolls. There were cheese and egg tarts, too, which wouldn’t have been so bad, but they were all single serving and far below the budget Rin had allotted for the task, so he didn’t think he’d get away with sticking a candle in one and calling it a night.

Rei sighed and started working his way around the perimeter of the store. The selection of wagashi was extensive and gorgeously made, and he paused in front of the display to admire them – elegant plum blossoms and tiny but extremely detailed snowmen and Christmas trees. They were all too sweet by half, even paired with bitter tea, but they were pretty and delicate – nicer than he’d expected given the location.

“Can I help you find something?” the woman behind the counter asked.

Rei looked up, surprised. “Oh,” he said. “Actually, yes. I wanted to buy a cake, but I was hoping you might have something that wasn’t too sweet, and small enough for two people?”

“Early Christmas gift?” she asked, leading him back toward the front of the shop.

“Ah, no. Birthday, actually.”

“Aww, a party for two. How cute.”

Rei gave her a tight smile. It was better than admitting he was buying himself a birthday cake to share with his housemate, “Thank you.”

“Probably the least sweet cake-cake we have would be plain vanilla with strawberries,” she said, gesturing to one of several similar-looking layer cakes, all heavily frosted and ornately decorated. Before Rei had a chance to object, she continued fluidly, “we also have cheesecakes, which are a little more savory, but not very birthday-like. Oh! Or maybe something like this.” She disappeared behind the counter and came back up a moment later with a small green roll cake, which she set on top of the display, “It’s matcha flavored. There’s cream and anko filling, but the cream is matcha flavored, too, so it’s not _too_ sweet.”

That… actually sounded good. Rei’s phone dinged, but he ignored it. “That’s perfect,” he said. “I’ll take it.” His phone dinged again.

She smiled and nodded, lifting the cake and turning back to the counter to package and bag it. Rei’s phone dinged again, and again, and again. He shuffled out of the way of one of the other customers, then pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen.

> Rin: rei
> 
> Rin: rei
> 
> Rin: rei
> 
> Rin: glasses
> 
> Rin: look at ur phone

Rei pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and typed a hasty: _What is it, Rin-san?_

The response was almost instant: _get candles too_.

“Is that her?” the clerk asked, flashing Rei a wink as she handed him the bag.

“Oh, ah. Yes, actually,” Rei said. He was going to _murder_ Rin. “I’m so sorry but do you happen to sell candles, also?”

“Usually only on the pre-decorated cakes,” she said, “but I think I can make an exception. I’ll ring you up over here.” She led him back over to the till, but not before making a detour to very conspicuously sneak a birthday candle into the bag. By the time Rei set his money down on the tray, his phone had already chimed five more times. “Should you get that?” she asked, handing Rei his change.

“It’s fine,” he said, giving her another, slightly more haggard smile. “Thank you very much for your help.”

“I hope she enjoys it!”

Rei gave a small bow of his head, then made a beeline for the door, jamming his change – _Rin’s_ change – into his wallet and then pulling his phone back out of his pocket.

> Rin: ok?
> 
> Rin: hey
> 
> Rin: u there?
> 
> Rin: glasses
> 
> Rin: get a lighter too

“Oh for-” he muttered, adjusting the cake bag on his arm and shoving his wallet back in his pocket, tapping out a response on his phone: _Rin-san, you do realize that it’s MY birthday, right?_ He started heading back toward his train platform, still typing irritably: _I understand that yo-_

Someone tapped his arm, and Rei startled so badly he nearly dropped his phone, “Wh-!” He whipped around to see who had touched him, and came face-to-face with the loveliest pair of eyes he’d ever seen. They were the color of hard candy, a deep pinkish-purple that couldn’t have been natural, but it didn’t look like he was wearing colored lenses. No, his eyes were probably just brown, a trick of the light, because no one-

He realized the owner of said eyes was talking to him. “I’m sorry, what?”

"Uh," he said, voice slightly muffled by a paper flu mask. He had a beanie pulled down low on his head, but there were a few wild blond curls sticking out from underneath it. The fact that most of his face was covered made it hard not to stare at his eyes. He looked about as startled as Rei felt, which was odd, considering _he_ was the one who had scared Rei half out of his mind. "You dropped your wallet!"

Rei reached back and patted his back pocket, eyes going wide when he found it empty, “Oh,” he said, “oh my goodness, thank you so much.” He bowed stiffly before taking the wallet back from him, “I was so distracted, I didn’t even notice. It was very kind of you to return it to me.”

"No prob!" he said breezily.

Rei's phone pinged in his hand and he made a short, irritated noise and switched the sound off without looking at the message. "Really, I can't thank you enough," he babbled, tucking his phone and his wallet both carefully into his messenger bag. "I'm sure I wouldn't have even noticed it was gone until I'd already gotten home." _That_ would have been a hell of a way to spend his birthday - calling around cancelling his credit cards, fighting to get a new student ID…

"Is this bakery any good?" Rei blinked in surprise, looking up at the stranger. He was pulling absently on a strand of his hair, twirling it gently around his fingertip, and looking down at the bag in Rei's hand. "I mean," he added quickly. "I always pass by it, but I've never been inside, even though it always smells so good."

"Oh," Rei said, looking down at the cake bag, then over at the bakery. "I don't know, actually," he mused, surprised by the question, "I've never been here before, but they have quite a nice selection. My friend sent me here to buy a cake for my birthday."

“Wait, your friend made you come out here to buy a cake for your _own_ birthday?”

Rei immediately flushed. He hadn't meant to say that. "Well, I mean, it's-" He reached up and adjusted his glasses, hurrying to explain away his flub, "Yes, actually, but... Well, we were supposed to have a proper party tomorrow on my actual birthday, but he found out at the last minute that he's going to be leaving town for a competition in the morning, so we had to reschedule, and-" He looked down at the bag and sighed, "and now I get the privilege of buying myself cake and ferrying him to the airport instead."

He closed his eyes, not quite believing that he'd just said all that out loud. When he opened them again, he found the stranger's expression written with amusement, eyes sparkling with humor. They were definitely pink, like vivid gemstones framed by his long lashes. The stranger quickly swallowed his laughter, and his expression softened. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said, moving a step closer. Rei let himself be led farther out of the flow of traffic, so they were standing next to the wall of the bakery, close enough that they didn't have to raise their voices to be heard, "But you'll be able to celebrate with your other friends, right?"

Rei let out a soft laugh, "Honestly, I'm not really one for parties. I only agreed to celebrate it in the first place because my birthday is the peak night for the Geminids this year and I was able to talk him into going to Nagano to watch them with... me..." The tail end of his thought faded out to nothing as the stranger absently pulled down his face mask to scratch his cheek, revealing a cute little button nose and a smile sweet enough to match his candy-colored eyes. He was absolutely stunning. For a moment, Rei forgot how to breathe.

The stranger didn't seem to notice, though, gasping suddenly and blurting out, "Wait, you like stargazing?" He was suddenly vibrating with excitement, eyes wide as he leaned in close, "Oh my god! Me too! I always feel so small and insignificant when I’m looking up at them, but it’s like--it’s a good feeling, you know? As if, even though we might be suuuper tiny in comparison to the rest of the universe, we still mean _something_ somehow. It’s a pretty amazing feeling…"

Rei blinked, completely taken off guard by the stranger's sudden burst of enthusiasm. The last time he'd told someone he was going to watch the Geminids, they'd thought he was talking about a band and had asked if they were any good. This guy, though... not only was he apparently _very_ passionate about stargazing, but he'd said – admittedly rather bluntly and maybe a little too loud – exactly what Rei felt when he looked up at the night sky. It wasn't exactly a _novel_ sentiment, but the energy he said it with - cheeks slightly flushed, eyes sparkling - had Rei nodding along in agreement.

"...and you said your birthday is _right_ during the peak? You're so lucky! I wanted so badly to go see them this year, but I've been so busy with practices, and Mako-chan won't give me _any_ days off, and ugh! I’m so jealous!" His enthusiasm was strangely contagious - despite the fact that Rei had no idea who Mako-chan was or what this man was practicing, he found himself smiling anyway, swept up by his energy. Before he could say anything, though, the man stopped himself abruptly, sucking in a breath and taking a step back, like he’d only just realized how close together they were standing. "Oh my god,” he said, ducking his head and tugging at his bangs, his cheeks gone bright red, “I'm so sorry."

"No," Rei said quickly, "no, not at all, it's… refreshing to know I'm not the only one looking at the stars.” The man looked back up at him, his smile coming back as quickly as it had disappeared, and Rei tilted his head to one side thoughtfully, “Even if you're busy, you should try to go see them; they're supposed to be particularly breathtaking this year. I could only get one day off work, so I was planning on taking the train up there, staying outside all night, and catching the first train home in the morning."

"I wish," the stranger said, his expression falling into a pout that was about ten times too cute to look entirely dejected. He dropped his gaze and scuffed the toe of his shoe against the floor, the gesture so endearingly childish and sulky that Rei had to suppress a smile. "My manage--errr, my boss… definitely wouldn’t give me the day off though. Especially not on such short notice.”

"Manager?" Rei asked, but the man's attention had shifted abruptly; he was looking past Rei's shoulder at… Rei turned and looked, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary, just people standing around chatting or shopping or heading toward one of the train platforms. He looked back just in time to catch the worried expression on the man's face before he pulled his mask back up over his mouth. "Is everything-?"

But before he could even finish asking, the man said, light and breezy, like nothing had happened, “Ah, well, it’s getting pretty late, and I guess your friend’s still waiting for you and your cake! I should let you go. I gotta go home too, anyway. It was really nice talking to you! I hope you have fun watching the Geminids! And happy early birthday!” He spoke so quickly that Rei didn't even have a chance to interject, and was already waving goodbye and heading in the opposite direction before he could formulate a response.

By the time he managed to say, "Wait-!" the man had already vanished into the crowd. Rei went up on his toes, scanning the tide of people, but there was nothing to see but a stream of winter hats and dark hair moving briskly in both directions, no hint of blonde curls that he could see. And why had he run off so fast? Rei scanned the crowd again, but nothing seemed amiss. Maybe he'd seen someone he recognized? Or had he said something wrong? He held his hand to his mouth and puffed out a breath against his palm, but, no, his breath smelled like mint gum. Nothing offensive. He briefly considered following after him, but dismissed the idea quickly. There was no way he'd catch up to him, and even if he did… He shook his head. The man had left for a reason, and it wouldn’t do to go chasing wildly after him, no matter how badly he wanted to ask him his name.

He pushed his hands down into his pockets and started heading in the opposite direction, making his way down into the station to wait for his train.

* * *

“I’m home,” Rei called, toeing out of his shoes and setting his messenger bag down in the genkan. He’d spent the whole trip home feeling abstractly discontent and distracted, turning the chance encounter over in his head and picking it apart, trying to figure out why their conversation had ended so abruptly and, maybe more importantly, why he was still thinking about it twenty minutes later. They’d only exchanged a few words, but…

“Welcome home,” Rin called from somewhere farther in their apartment, “Did you find a cake?”

Rei peeled out of his coat and hung it on the hook by the door before heading the rest of the way inside, “Yes, actually, and I think you might like it too.” He set the cake bag down on the counter that separated their kitchen from the living room and sat down on one of the barstools. Rin was standing next to the stove, dressed in an apron and stirring something in a big pot.

“No kidding?” he said, wiping his hands on his apron and turning to face Rei.

“Mm, look,” Rei said, lifting the cake out of the bag and setting it on the counter.

“Matcha?”

Rei nodded, “The filling, too.”

“Nice. You get a candle?”

Rei reached into the bag and pulled the candle out, holding it up so Rin could see, then set it on top of the plastic lid of the cake box.

“And a lighter?”

Rei winced. He’d completely forgotten Rin’s message, and had been so distracted on the train that he hadn’t even thought to check his phone again. “I’ll go back out,” he said wearily, pushing himself back to his feet.

“Sit down,” Rin said with a sly grin, pulling a lighter out of his pocket and twirling it between his fingers. “When you stopped responding to my texts, I went and bummed one off Sousuke.”

Rei sat back down heavily and sighed, “Then why did you _ask_?”

Rin grinned and turned back to whatever it was he was making, “So maybe you learn to stop ignoring me when I text you.” Rei grunted, folding his arms on the counter and laying his head down on top of them. “I’m glad you found something at that café, though. I knew a normal bakery would just have, like, sugar coated sugar, but I guess that place is like, local-famous, so I thought they might have something.”

Rei lifted his head to look at Rin’s back. He’d assumed Rin had just jotted down the address of the first bakery that came up when he looked for one online, but apparently he’d actually put some thought into it. “They had a good selection of bread and pastries, too,” Rei said dumbly, “and a fairly extensive tea list and coffee menu.”

“We’ll have to go sometime, when we aren’t both in a rush,” Rin said, spooning some of the liquid from the pot into a small dish and handing it to Rei. “Taste.”

Rei sipped, and nodded. “It’s good,” he said, then, thoughtfully, “really good.” Unusually good, in fact. They usually just had instant miso soup, but… “Did you make this from scratch?”

“Oh yes, I spent _hours_ slaving over a hot stove for your fake birthday,” Rin said, voice dripping with sarcasm as he switched off the heat on the stove. Which probably meant that he actually had. He fished two bowls out of the cupboard and passed them to Rei, “Serve yourself.”

“The service here is terrible,” Rei said without any real heat, standing and making his way into the kitchen. By the time he’d filled both bowls, Rin had perched himself on one of the barstools, and…

…and somehow produced a large platter of very expensive looking sushi.

“You didn’t make _this_ from scratch,” Rei said, setting the two bowls of soup on the counter.

Rin waved a hand, “Seijuro knows a guy.”

Despite the fact that he knew it would make Rin squirm, as he sat down, he said, “Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rin said, handing him a pair of chopsticks, “Happy birthday, four-eyes.”

They ate in companionable silence. The soup was excellent, and the sushi absolutely spectacular – almost extravagantly so, even if he “knew a guy.” The rice was even still warm, which meant Rin had probably only sent him out for the cake so he could go pick up the sushi in secret, which seemed like a lot of trouble to go to for an impromptu party. About half way through dinner, he realized why. “You know,” Rin said, “I’m really sorry for bailing on our trip.”

“It’s an important meet,” Rei said, staving him off before he could launch into another apology. “It’s unfortunate that they told you the wrong travel dates, but this isn’t an opportunity you can miss. I understand that.”

“Still,” Rin said, “if I’d found out sooner, you could have gone home to see your family, or found someone else to-”

“Rin,” Rei said quietly. “It’s okay.”

Rin frowned, reaching up to run his hand back through his hair, “I just, I know you were really looking forward to it, you know?”

Rei made a thoughtful sound, “I was actually thinking I might just go by myself.”

“On your birthday?”

Rei shrugged, holding a piece of nigiri up to him in a vague salute, “I have had more depressing birthdays.” Rin hummed an agreement, and Rei popped the sushi in his mouth. He definitely needed to meet this sushi guy. “Anyway,” he said, swallowing, “I’d rather be out on a hill in the middle of nowhere looking at stars alone than-” he paused, “That _does_ sound rather maudlin, doesn’t it?”

Rin held up his index finger and thumb, just a tiny bit apart.

“Well, I’d rather be melancholy and watching the meteor shower than be sulking at home on the roof, cursing the city lights because I can’t see the sky.”

“Not that I disagree, but why the change of heart?” Rin asked.

“I…” Rei frowned. “I ran into someone today who reminded me that it’s a privilege that I can go at all.” Rin quirked an eyebrow, and Rei waved a hand, “I don’t know, it’s not important. I just… I think it would be a shame to miss it.”

“I could ask Gou if she wants to tag along.”

Rei choked, “Please don’t. I want to stargaze, not have my diet and training regimen critiqued all night.”

“God, she still does that?”

“Like a compulsion. I don’t think she can help herself.”

“Old habits, I guess,” Rin said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back. “You can’t think of anyone you’d want to go with?”

Rei started to say _no_ , but before his mouth could form the word, he remembered the face of the stranger he’d met outside the bakery. And what was _that_ about? He didn’t even know the man, not even by name and hardly more than in passing, so why was he imagining them stretching out on a grassy hill looking up at the sky together, and _why_ was that thought bringing a hint of color to his cheeks?

Rin quirked an eyebrow, “Who?”

“I didn’t say anything,” Rei said, lifting his bowl to hide his face and taking a few hasty bites.

“Your face did a thing,” Rin said, leaning on the counter and tilting his head, trying to get a better look at him. “Spill. Is it that guy from your physics class?”

Rei coughed. “For the last time, Sera-san is _just a friend_.”

“Who, then?”

Rei set his bowl down and put his face in his hands, “It’s stupid.” Rin sighed dramatically and stood up, heading back into the kitchen. “What are you doing?” Rei asked as Rin pulled open the refrigerator.

“Plying you with alcohol,” he said, twisting the cap off a bottle of beer and setting it down in front of Rei. “Now spill.”

Rei sighed. “Because you were texting me so incessantly, I was distracted coming out of the bakery and accidentally dropped my wallet. Someone noticed, and returned it to me, and somehow we wound up talking about the Geminids. But he ran off before I could catch his name, so,” he lifted the bottle to his lips, leaving the rest unsaid and taking a swig of beer.

“Good looking?” Rin asked, cracking open his own bottle of beer and leaning casually against the kitchen side of the counter.

He had been angelic, youthful (but not _too_ young, he didn’t think) and radiant with amusement and energy, so vibrant it had bowled Rei over completely. He set down his beer bottle and sighed, resting his forehead on his hand, “He was beautiful.”

Rin’s eyes went a little wide, “Damn.”

“What?” Rei said irritably.

“I thought we broke you of that habit.” When Rei tilted his head, Rin said, “The ‘beautiful’ thing. I haven’t heard you say it in a long time.”

Rei frowned and said, maybe a little petulantly, “He was, though.”

“But you didn’t catch a name?” Rei shook his head, and Rin said, “Damn, that’s too bad.” Rei hummed an agreement and Rin pointed his chopsticks at the last piece of sushi, “You gonna eat that?”

“Not if you’re going to make me do rock-paper-scissors for it.”

“Just this once, I’ll let you off the hook,” Rin said, picking up the sushi with his chopsticks and holding it out to Rei, “but only because I’d feel bad for beating you on your fake birthday.”

Rei rolled his eyes, but leaned in and let Rin feed him the last bite. He held up his hand to his mouth and said, “You know, statistically, I beat you at rock-paper-scissors seventy four percent of the time.”

“Yeah, I know, statistically, you’re a giant nerd,” Rin said, picking up the empty sushi tray and moving it to the other side of the kitchen. “You still have room for cake?”

“If I must,” Rei said, though honestly he was a little curious how it would taste. Rin slid the cake box across the counter so it was sitting between them, then popped off the lid and stuck the lone candle into the center of the cake. When Rin pulled out the lighter and started to light the candle, Rei said, “Is this really necessary?”

“Yep,” Rin said, flipping off the kitchen lights.

“Are you going to sing to me, too?”

“Not a chance,” he said, setting the lighter down and leaning on one elbow. “Make a wish, birthday-boy.”

Rei had to admit, he didn’t hate the way the cake looked lit up by the warm glow of the one lonely little candle. It was a tradition that had never particularly spoken to him – mostly due to his dislike of sweets – but now, far away from home, it resonated with nostalgia. It felt nice to be celebrated, and he took the notion of the wish-making to heart, turning over in his head all the things you were supposed to wish for – good health and happiness for himself and his family and friends, prosperity and success, good grades and maybe a job offer. He drew in a breath to blow out the candle, but just as he let out the little puff of air, he thought: _I wish I could see him again, just once_.

The kitchen went dark, and Rei had never been more grateful for it, because his face was _burning_. What a childish, ridiculous thought, unbidden and-

“You thought about him, didn’t you?” Rin said, standing up to turn the lights back on.

“I don’t even know his name,” Rei said miserably, realizing too late that he _could_ have tried to deny it.

“He was really _that_ hot, huh?” Rin asked, retrieving two plates, a pair of forks, and a large knife from the kitchen.

“It wasn’t even – I mean, _yes_ , but… I don’t know. There was just something about him.”

“Uh huh,” Rin said, pulling the candle out of the cake and licking the end of it before slicing the cake carefully in half and portioning it out onto the plates. He handed Rei the slightly larger of the two pieces and a fork, then said, “Come on.”

“What?”

But Rin was already heading past him, flopping down onto the sofa and pulling his laptop out from under it, “We’re gonna find your dream guy.”

Rei made an indignant noise, “What, just google ‘dream guy’?”

“Obviously not,” Rin said, flipping open his laptop and turning it on, “We’re going to look for missed connections.”

“What?”

Rin waved a hand, “Just come here.” He curled up on the sofa, balancing the laptop carefully on his knees, and took a bite of the cake. “Hey, this is pretty good.”

“So glad you’re enjoying it,” Rei said dryly, sitting down next to him – back straight, feet on the floor. Whatever Rin had in mind, it couldn’t be good. While Rin scrolled through some website, Rei sliced off a small piece of cake, speared it with his fork, and took a bite. It was, as Rin had said, pretty good – the cake itself was moist and spongy, and the bitterness of the matcha balanced out the sweetness of the cream and anko filling. He’d taken a few more small, thoughtful bites, savoring the taste, when Rin turned his laptop to face him. The website was a long list of date-stamped links, and at the top of the page it said simply: Tokyo > Personals > Missed Connections. Rei quirked an eyebrow, reading off some of the titles, “‘We met on the train – you wore a face mask,’ ‘Can’t stop thinking of you,’ ‘Hot girl at gym,’? What is this?”

“Missed connections,” Rin said, like it was obvious. “It’s like a personal ad for someone you met, or saw, but didn’t get to exchange contact info with.”

“‘You rang me up at McDonalds,’ ‘the lady with long hair and a sensual smile’? Really? This sounds-”

“Some of them are kinda skeevy,” Rin admitted before Rei could make the accusation. “But if you left as big an impression on him as he did on you, he might go looking for you. That’s the idea, anyway.”

Rei continued to scroll through the page, looking at titles and clicking on a few of the messages, but… “These all read like desperate solicitations.”

Rin shrugged, talking around the fork in his mouth, “Sure, yours will probably be the most poetic, grammatically correct post on the whole damn site, but… Either he never sees it, so it doesn’t matter, or he does, and you get to meet up with him again.”

Rei frowned, but when Rin offered him the laptop, he took it. “What am I supposed to do?”

Rin draped his arm over the back of the sofa, turning to face Rei and tapping the tines of his fork against his lower lip, “You come up with a pithy, eye-catching title so if he looks, he’ll know it’s you, then write your sappy love song and post it. Not too many details, and no personal info – just enough to ring a bell if the right person reads it.”

“And if he does?”

Rin reached over and clicked onto one of the posts and pointed at the screen, “It makes you a gibberish email that links to your real account so people can contact you without actually having your info.”

Well, that was a relief, but still. Rei sighed, “This seems like a waste of time.”

Rin shrugged, stealing a bite of cake off Rei’s plate, “You could always go stargazing alone. By yourself. Unaccompanied. On your birthday.”

“Yes, _thank you_ Rin-san, I’d nearly forgotten,” he said, pulling his plate away from Rin defensively when he moved in to steal another bite. “You didn’t have any other plans for tonight?”

“We have a stack of movies, and our DVR could use an exorcism but,” he shrugged, “I just need to finish packing for the meet before bed.”

Rei let out a deep, put-upon sigh, “Alright. I’ll write something while you pack, then we can watch a movie.”

Rin clapped him on the shoulder, “You’ll do great, buddy.” He pushed smoothly up off the sofa and headed for his room, and Rei looked despondently down at the laptop screen. He spent a while navigating the site, trying to figure out how to make a post, then stared at the blinking cursor while Rin tried to wrestle his suitcase out of the closet.

After a minute, he took a breath and typed in the heading: m4m – You returned my wallet; we talked about the stars.

Just that was embarrassing enough to make him lean his head forward and rest it against the top of the laptop screen. There was no way this message would ever get through – the one person he wanted to see it never would. Hell, probably _no one_ ever would. And worst case he’d get a bunch of sleazy solicitations from lonely people trawling for other, equally lonely people.

“Hey,” Rin called, “have you seen my lucky goggles?”

“They’re on the bookshelf in the corner, second shelf, next to the Tolstoy.”

Rin grumbled – probably something derisive about Russian literature – but found the goggles almost immediately. “Thanks. Hey, do we still have that little travel kit? With the tiny toothpaste?”

Rei sighed, “In the cabinet in the bathroom, bottom drawer, purple bag.”

It went on like this for the better part of an hour; Rei typing, frowning, deleting, and rewriting while Rin wandered around the apartment like he’d never set foot in it before and had lost the ability to identify his own possessions without assistance.

“Hey-”

“Your spare jammers are in the plastic thing in your closet,” Rei said, “and no, we don’t have any travel-sized shaving cream, but you can take a bar of my shaving soap.” Before Rin could ask, he added, “Which is on the top shelf in the medicine cabinet.”

Rin laughed and ruffled Rei’s hair in passing, “What would I do without you?”

“Show up at the starting block in Rio next year stark naked, most likely.” He looked up from the computer screen, glancing over his shoulder as Rin fussed around in the medicine cabinet, “You’re bringing extra sets of goggles, right? If the strap breaks-”

“I packed three pairs,” Rin said, holding a bar of Rei’s soap up to his nose and sniffing it. “What is this, lavender?”

“It’s meant to be relaxing,” Rei said tersely, “but take the coconut one instead or you’ll get razor burn. And put that back in the container, don’t just toss it in the sink.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be writing a love letter?” Rin said, picking the soap back up out of the sink and putting it away properly.

Rei glanced back at the computer screen, “I think I just did.”

“Ooh, let me read it,” Rin said, leaning on the back of the sofa behind Rei’s head.

Rei tipped the screen of the laptop down, “Why should I?”

“Because it was my idea in the first place,” Rin said, rubbing his knuckles down against Rei’s scalp, “so spill.”

“Fine,” Rei said with a sigh, opening the laptop and tipping the screen back so Rin could read it over his shoulder.

He didn’t intend to reread it, but after about five seconds of Rin hovering behind him, Rei’s eyes started moving habitually along the text:

We met outside a bakery in a train station. In my haste, I’d dropped my wallet, and you kindly returned it to me. We only talked for a moment – about the way the stars have the power to make us feel both bigger and smaller than we are, and how life sometimes stands in the way of us enjoying its own small pleasures – but I can’t help wishing I could have held on to that moment, made it last a little longer. I don’t even know your name, but I can’t forget the way your eyes sparkled when you were trying not to laugh. I feel like I’ve stolen a glance at the sun, but the afterimage when I close my eyes is you. You wished me a happy birthday, but the truth is, you’re my birthday wish. If you’re reading this – can I see you again? I’d love to watch the stars with you.

Rei couldn’t resist the urge to make a few small changes as he went, scrubbing and editing each word for the umpteenth time until Rin flicked his ear to make him stop. He folded his hands and chewed his lip nervously. It felt stupid. The whole thing felt stupid. He was tempted just to delete the post, shut down the computer, and forget about the whole thing. Except. Except, if there was even a small chance that this “missed connection” could turn into something more…

Rin made a thoughtful sound, and Rei sighed, “Is it awful?”

“It’s very you,” Rin said.

Rei highlighted the whole post and deleted it.

Rin let out an undignified sound, “What are you doing?” He reached over Rei’s shoulder, hastily undoing his delete and bringing the text back, “I didn’t say that was a _bad_ thing.”

“This is stupid,” Rei said.

“You should post it.”

“He’s never going to see it, and even if he _did_ I-”

“Might get to see him again?” Rei frowned, and Rin said again, “You should post it.”

Rei read the post over again. Took out a comma. Put it back. Took it out again. Put it back. Then sighed, posted the message, and shut the laptop. “Rin-san, please put on a movie before I have time to think about what I’ve just done.”

Rin hopped smoothly over the back of the sofa and dropped down onto the seat next to him, already reaching for the remote and turning on the TV. “Done.”

* * *

Eight episodes of Rin’s favorite K-drama and half a box of tissues later, they heard the sound of their front door being unlocked. Rei glanced over at Rin, who looked at him wide-eyed and shrugged. It was already the middle of the night, and they weren’t expecting anyone.

“Sousuke?” Rin called out as the door opened.

Then the door slammed, and someone shouted, “Ryuugazaki Rei!”

“Gou?!” They said in tandem, just as she stormed through the front hall into the living room.

“Explain!” she said, pointing her phone in their general direction.

Rin and Rei looked at each other, then back at her. Rei gathered himself first and said, “I’m sorry, what?”

“Explain,” she said again, taking a few more steps forward and putting her phone in Rei’s hands. The screen was filled with text – what looked like a blog post.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Read,” she said firmly.

His eyes started scanning the screen. At first, he didn’t understand what he was looking at; it seemed like just some bubbly, inane recounting of a person’s daily life. Then…

> _First of all, do you guys believe in “love at first sight”?_
> 
> _To be honest, I didn’t until today!!_
> 
> _I was heading back home after another dance practice_
> 
> _And I was heading toward the platform to my train…_
> 
> _When I saw someone drop their wallet! (_ _・o_ _・)_

He sucked in a sharp breath, and Rin said, “What?”

It was probably a coincidence. It had to be. But then…

> _We were standing right outside a bakery, and he had just bought something from it!_
> 
> _You won’t believe this, but he had bought a birthday cake for HIMSELF!_

“Oh my god,” he murmured.

“Dude, what is it?” Rin said, leaning over his shoulder to try to get a better look at the screen.

“It’s him,” Rei breathed, so stunned that he let Rin pull the phone right out of his hand, his fingers gone limp and weak.

“Wow,” Rin said after a moment. Then, affecting a girlie voice, “He was soooo handsome. He had _such_ a nice voice.”

“Oh my god,” Rei said, putting his head in his hands. He felt a little dizzy.

Rin laughed, “Oh wow, ‘his dorky red glasses’? This really IS about you.” After a moment, he snorted, “‘Soulmates’? I didn’t realize you’d fallen for a giggly 13 year old, Rei.”

“How did you find him?” Rei asked, looking up at Gou, who had her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrows raised. “How did you even-?”

Then Rin started laughing in earnest, “Holy shit, Rei. You’re fucking kidding me. Is this really him?” He turned the phone so Rei could see, and sure enough, there was a picture of the stranger from the train station staring back at him. It was clearly a modeled photo and, he realized, the header of the website. “He looks like a-”

“Pop star?” Gou said dryly.

The color drained from Rei’s face, “What?”

Gou pressed her fingertips to her forehead and sighed, like she was fighting off a migraine. “He’s Hazuki Nagisa, aka Nagi-chan,” she said. “He’s my favorite idol, and _apparently_ he’s gay. Or bi. Or whatever. Give me that,” she said, snatching the phone back from Rin’s hands.

It made perfect sense. Grueling practices. A nagging manager who wouldn’t let him take the night off. His bubbly personality and dazzling good looks. Of course. Of course he was famous. Rei reached under the sofa and pulled out Rin’s laptop, starting it back up.

“Hey, what’re you doing?” Rin asked.

“I’m deleting my post,” Rei said.

“What? Why?” Rin said.

“Did you not hear what Gou-san just said?” He asked, hastily navigating back to his post and pulling it up, “he’s _famous_ , and-”

Rin slipped his hands under the laptop and lifted it out of Rei’s grasp, snapping it back shut, “Yeah, and super into you. Dude. This is great.”

It didn’t feel great. In fact, Rei felt a tiny bit nauseous.

“He’s not just ‘super into you,’” Gou said. “He’s so smitten he just _accidentally came out on his blog_. His entire fanbase is on _fire_ looking for you.”

Rin’s eyes went a little wide, “Okay, sis, that sounds kind of like a threat.”

She just shrugged, “I mean, yeah, there are some broken hearts for sure, but the fujoshis are _totally_ into it.”

Rei pulled his phone out of his pocket, trying to remember the name of the website so he could take the post down without the laptop. Before he could open a browser, though, his email updated. There were already almost a hundred new messages in his inbox. He made a choked, startled noise and Rin leaned over to look. Every single one of the messages was redirected from the missed connections site. “I have to take it down,” he said. “Rin-san, please give me the laptop back.”

He reached for the computer, but Rin held it up out of his reach. “One question,” he said.

Rei gave him a pleading look, but said, “What?”

“Do you want him to see it?”

“ _What?_ ”

“Your post,” Rin said. “Do you still want him to see it? I mean, okay, yeah, he’s famous, and he’s apparently got some intense fans, so if you say, right now, ‘that shit’s not worth it,’ we’ll scrub you right off the ‘net and pretend this never happened. But if you still want to meet him anyway, I think we can make this work for us.”

“Are you _insane_?”

Rin glanced up at Gou, “Word’s getting around pretty fast, right?”

“Obvs.”

“And he clearly wants to meet up with you again,” Rin said. “So, why not add a shout-out to him in the post? Offer to meet up. We can change your email to a dummy address so you won’t have to wade through the spam, and,” he shrugged, “Maybe you’ll wind up with a birthday date.”

“He said he was going to be busy tomorrow,” Rei said.

“Probably not anymore,” Gou said.

“What do you mean?” Rin said.

“Word is, this post was a PR nightmare. I wouldn’t be surprised if he spent the next month in giant shades going incognito.”

Rin flipped open the laptop and looked at Rei expectantly, “Well?”

Rei hesitated. “The messages won’t go to my email?” Rin shook his head. “And they won’t be able to trace it back to me?”

“Not if you don’t post any personal information.”

Rei looked over at Gou, “How did _you_ know it was about me?”

“Dorky red glasses, birthday at the peak of the Geminids, loooves stargazing, buying his own birthday cake,” she said, counting them off on her fingers. “That was my idea, by the way. To send you to get cake to get you out of the house. You’re welcome.”

“There’s no way he’d see it in time, though,” Rei said, only belatedly realizing that he’d somehow missed his chance to put an end to this conversation, because despite the fact that his hands were shaking, just a little, he _did_ still want to see him again. Hazuki-san. Nagisa.

Rin ignored him, already typing something on the laptop.

“What are you doing?” Rei said.

After a moment, Rin showed him the addendum he’d tacked onto the end of Rei’s post:

> edit: i have a spare train ticket. meet me at the bakery tomorrow if u want to go watch the stars w/me.

Rei shuddered. “Give me that,” he said, holding his hands out for the laptop.

Rin passed it to him wordlessly, and Rei stared at the screen for a long moment, then deleted Rin’s text and typed:

> Update: I saw your post, and that you feel the same way I do. I know you said you’d be busy, but if you can, meet me tomorrow afternoon at the bakery where we met. I have a spare ticket on an evening train for the trip I told you about, and would love it if you would come with me. I can’t imagine a better way to spend my birthday.

Rei handed the laptop back to Rin and put his face in his hands. His cheeks were burning. This was the stupidest thing he’d ever done.

“Damn,” Rin said. “Just rub it in that you’re the word guy, why don’t you.”

“Please kill me,” Rei said.

“So, Gou,” Rin said, absently typing and scrolling around on his laptop, “Since I know you didn’t actually get our beautiful, sweet Rei anything for his birthday, do you think you could make sure a cap of this gets posted on, like, his website and twitter and shit? Make sure he sees it?”

“For your information, I got him a 10 pound bag of protein powder, thank you very much. But yeah, I can go spam some comment threads. If-” she said, holding up one finger, then pointing at Rei, “you promise to get me his autograph after you smooch him.”

Rei curled up, groaning and resting his forehead on his knees.

“I think that’s a yes,” Rin said.

Rei groaned again, and Gou held up her phone and snapped a picture of him, “Cute. I’ll see you at the meet, big brother. Don’t miss your flight.”

Rei didn’t bother looking up, but he heard the sound of her leaving, then closing and locking their front door behind her. “I think I’ve lost my mind,” he mumbled, wearily, against his legs.

“Yep,” Rin said, rubbing Rei’s back and then giving it a few encouraging slaps. “Happens to the best of us.” Rei let out a low, protracted, miserable groan. After a moment, Rin asked, “Hey, by the way, have you seen my nail clippers?”

“You left them on the windowsill in your bedroom, because you’re disgusting.”

“Oh yeah,” he said. After a moment, he added, “At least the weather’s supposed to be nice tomorrow.” Rei groaned again, and Rin resumed gently rubbing his back, “C’mon buddy. Let’s get to bed. We’ve both got a big day tomorrow.”

Rei had no idea how he was supposed to sleep. He was burning with embarrassment from head to toe and, more worryingly, tingling with excitement. Because however slim the possibility, however remote the chance, maybe, _maybe_ he was actually going to get his wish.

* * *

Rei spent the next morning curled up in bed, thumbing through the messages on his phone while Rin clamored around the apartment, double and triple checking his bags. He read the emails that had gone to HIS email address first, then the ones that had gone to the dummy account Rin had set up the night before (hazukibootycall@xmail.com). The vast majority of them were regurgitating the information he’d gotten the night before or polite inquiries (“have you seen this blog post?” “Is this you?” “I think the person you’re looking for is Nagi-chan!”). He skimmed the more vitriolic ones and then started skipping them entirely. But it was the sheer volume of messages he’d received that was really staggering.

It was one thing to know, abstractly, that the person he’d bumped shoulders and batted eyes with was famous. It was entirely another to be caught in the runoff of that fame. For him, it was a deluge of attention – no matter how anonymously received – but he knew that it probably represented only a tiny fraction of “Nagi-chan’s” fanbase. And this was the result of only a single, vaguely-worded blog post. How much worse would it be if they were spotted somewhere together? Or if – he was forced to consider – they wound up in any sort of long term relationship?

They were nothing more than strangers with a spark between them – a shared and instant attraction – and the exchange of a few dozen words over the course of a few minutes hardly guaranteed anything more than that. But even just a second meeting would have to be clandestine, to say nothing of a third, or fourth, or so on. And their relationship, such that it was, was already so highly-publicized that Rei felt singed by Hazuki-san’s spotlight.

If his fans were as diligent in tracking down details about their meeting as they had been in looking for clues about _him_ – the “mystery man” – it was entirely possible that, even if they _did_ meet, they’d be greeted with a gaggle of enthusiastic (or, worse, angry) fans and cell phone cameras. The thought left an uneasy feeling in his gut. Rei valued his privacy, and though he certainly didn’t know from experience, he couldn’t imagine that Hazuki-san’s life was a quiet one.

As he turned it over in his head, he realized it was entirely possible that the whole reason he’d run off the day before was because he’d been recognized after he’d taken off his face mask.

…the face mask which he’d probably been wearing to keep from _being_ recognized in the first place. Even if they just met to share tea and cake and exchange phone numbers, there was a chance they’d be spotted, and Rei wasn’t entirely sure what that would mean. It was a lot to take in.

He reached over and pulled his tablet off his nightstand and turned it on. Hazuki-san’s website was still open from when he’d been thumbing through it the night before, unable to sleep. He sighed, flipping idly through the pages, reading a few of the older blog posts (bubbly and inane, but _sweetly_ so), his tour dates (frequent, big venues, sold out), his discography (nothing Rei had ever heard of), and, with a touch of embarrassment, his personal details (165cm, 55kg, and, improbably, about half a year _older_ than him). After a few minutes he sighed and pulled up his post on the missed connections site and reread that, too. Taking it down now wouldn’t make it disappear – it was obviously too late for that. It _would_ stop the flood of emails, but it would also make it so Hazuki-san couldn’t contact him, either. He set the tablet down, dragged his pillow over his face, and groaned.

A minute later, Rin rapped a quick knock on his door and opened it without waiting for him to answer, “Hey, can I use your printer? I need to print out my boarding passes.”

“Shouldn’t you have done that last night?” he mumbled into his pillow.

“Slipped my mind,” he said, gently pulling the pillow out of Rei’s grip and peering down at him, “You still gonna take me to the airport, or should I call a cab?”

Rei crossed his arms over his eyes and groaned, “I’ll take you. Just give me a minute.”

“Pretty sure you’ve been in here freaking out all morning,” Rin said, sitting down at Rei’s desk and turning on his computer. “You wanna talk about it?”

“I’ve somehow both nebulously made a date with a celebrity and agreed to spend my entire birthday sitting alone in a café.”

Rin hummed an absent agreement, “Probably should have put an actual time in your post, in retrospect. But that would have made it easier to find you and figure out what train you’re taking.”

“I don’t want to have to think about that,” Rei said suddenly. “That’s not who I am. Avoiding public scrutiny? I wouldn’t know where to begin. But if I’m with him, and people are looking at him, they’ll be looking at me, too.”

Rin reached over and flipped on the printer. “Okay, so. Assuming he shows, what’s the worst case scenario?”

“We get mobbed by angry fans?”

“Mmkay, he shows up, you get mobbed by angry fans. What do you do?”

He paused, honestly considering the question. “I suppose it would depend on his reaction. If he wanted to do a meet-and-greet, or… I don’t know. What do idols do when they get mobbed by fans?”

Rin rolled his eyes. “Stop thinking so hard. He shows up. You get mobbed by angry fans. What do you do?”

Rei paused, his cheeks heating up. After a moment, he said, “I’d grab his hand and make a run for the first train leaving the station.”

“Mm. And if he doesn’t show up? Worst case?”

Rei chewed his lip, “You really think he won’t show?”

Rin laughed. “Okay so which is worse: mobbed by fans, or him not showing?”

Put like that, it was simple. Unruly people he could puzzle through and problem solve; perhaps he was underestimating Hazuki-san’s fans, but while it was something outside his purview, it seemed…doable. But the thought of sitting alone for hours, polishing off a last sip of tea, and heading for the bullet train by himself seemed vastly lonelier than it had only the day before. Just thinking about it rang of hollow disappointment, and that was… unexpected.

“That’s what I thought,” Rin said, plucking the printed pages from the tray of the printer.

“I don’t understand,” Rei said. “Why do I feel this way?”

“Dunno, man,” Rin said, plopping down on the edge of Rei’s bed, “but I haven’t seen you like this in ages.”

Rei rolled his eyes, “Just a few days ago, you called me the ‘man of a thousand crushes.’ And I can’t say how many times you’ve pestered me about Sera-san.”

“Yeah, well, that’s cuz I’m an asshole,” Rin said, “and because you get this stupid smug, satisfied look whenever he praises you about something.” He shook his head, “You’ve got huge platonic crushes on like, everyone you’ve ever met, and you are _so weak_ to senpais who notice you. But a crush crush rather than a squish? It’s been a while.”

Rei pressed his hands to his face, “I talked to him for like _five minutes_.”

“And now you want to kiss his adorable, famous face,” Rin said, ruffling Rei’s hair as he stood up. “So you should probably brush your teeth and shave. Put on a bowtie or… whatever it is that you do to attract a male of your species. Then take me to the airport, and go meet your date.” Rei groaned, and Rin sighed and said, “You have 45 minutes, or I’m calling a cab.”

“Fine,” Rei said, hauling himself out of bed, “I’m going, I’m going.”

* * *

The bowtie was a good idea, but he kept it in his pocket because he knew Rin would tease him for it. He couldn’t hide the fact that he spent maybe a little longer getting ready than he usually did, though – showering and shaving; flossing, brushing, and rinsing; donning his best black sweater over a blue button up and his nicest pair of jeans; fussing over his hair, just a little. He thought he was doing pretty well on time, though, until Rin called from the living room, “Oh my god, Rei, I’m going to miss my plane.”

“Sorry,” Rei said quickly, triple checking his hair in the mirror before slipping out of the bathroom and pulling on his navy blue peacoat and his favorite red scarf. He picked up the overnight bag he’d packed for his own trip and said, “Alright, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

“Grab my carry on?”

Rei scooped it up off the table and slung it over his shoulder. “You have your boarding pass?” Rin hummed an affirmative, and Rei asked, “Passport?”

“Yep,” Rin said, donning his own coat and scarf.

Rei continued down the list while Rin hauled his suitcase out of his room and wheeled it toward the door. He managed to catch the one thing Rin had forgotten (extra hair ties), and ten minutes later, they were out the door and headed for the airport.

* * *

Rei waited until Rin had his bags checked, then walked with him toward the security screening area. Rin stopped just outside the entrance, stepping out of the flow of traffic and holding his hand out, “Give me the bowtie.”

He contemplated lying, briefly. Feigning ignorance, maybe. Then Rin made an impatient grabby motion with his hand, and Rei sighed and pulled the bowtie out of his pocket and dropped it into Rin’s palm, sighing, “It’s that bad?”

Rin shook his head, “Take off your scarf.”

“Huh?”

“You always tie it crooked when you don’t have a decent mirror,” Rin said. “C’mon, off with it.”

“Seriously?” Rei said, but obediently unwound his scarf and unbuttoned his coat.

“You’re gonna be fine,” Rin said, slipping the bowtie under the collar of Rei’s shirt and tying it carefully.

Rei let out a wry chuckle, “Shouldn’t I be telling _you_ that?”

“Maybe after the press conference tomorrow,” Rin said, wrinkling his nose. “Today’s all you, though.”

Rei scoffed, but reached up and touched the tied bowtie and said, “Thanks, Rin-san.”

Rin grunted an acknowledgement, digging around in his bag while Rei put his scarf back on and rebuttoned his coat. “My sister brought this by on her way to work this morning,” he said, handing Rei a small pink mp3 player neatly wrapped in a pair of white earbuds. “It apparently has Nagi-chan’s entire discography on it.”

Rei laughed, shaking his head and tucking it into his pocket, “I suppose I should listen to at least one of his songs?”

“Probably not a bad idea,” Rin said, pulling a small wrapped package out of his bag and passing it to Rei. “And this is from me.”

Rei tilted his head. The package was wrapped in simple brown paper, but tied with a gorgeous purple silk ribbon. “But you bought me dinner,” he protested. “And cake.”

“Just open it,” Rin said irritably.

Rei pulled on the ribbon, loosening it and sliding it off the package. Underneath, the paper was folded on but not taped, and he removed it carefully as well, revealing a slim hardcover book inside. Rei blinked. It was a beautiful volume, a two-toned brown cloth cover with a delicately embossed pine branch and pinecones on the front face, just beneath the title: _Birthday Stories_. He ran his fingertips lightly over the surface and murmured, “This is a first edition.”

“Yeah,” Rin said, looking down at his feet and rubbing the back of his head. “I guess there are two more stories in a later version? But I know you like having the first printings, and we didn’t have this one at the apartment, so-”

“Rin, it’s perfect,” Rei said, cutting him off and pulling him into a tight hug. “Thank you.”

Rin sighed, patting his back, “Yeah, yeah. Happy birthday.” He drew back, and Rei pretended not to notice that his eyes looked a little red-rimmed. “Now, worst case, even if he doesn’t show up, you at least have something to read while you wait,” he said, nodding at the book.

“Thank you,” he said again.

Rin waved a hand dismissively, “Let me know how it goes, huh?”

Rei nodded, “I will. And good luck at the meet. I’ll be watching.”

“Thanks,” Rin said, pulling him into another quick hug before adjusting the bag on his shoulder, “I should head to my gate, but I’ll see you next week.”

“I’ll be here to pick you up,” Rei said, raising a hand to wave him off. “Fly safe.”

“Yeah. I’ll text you when I get in,” he said, returning the wave before heading into the security line.

Rei watched him until he made it through to the other side, then turned the book over in his hands, flipping gently through the pages. It was the only first edition Murakami missing from his collection.

* * *

Rei got to the bakery just a few minutes after twelve, which meant he was at least technically on time for an after-noon meeting, but probably several hours early for a date that was likely to stand him up. Even so, he was relieved to discover that, while the bakery part of the little shop was bustling with activity, the small dining area on the opposite side was relatively empty. It hadn’t even crossed his mind the night before, since there wasn’t really anywhere else they _could_ meet without conferring in private, but the whole plan would have fallen apart if the café had been too busy for him to lay claim to a table.

His shoulders relaxed as he stood in line at the counter. At the very least, he’d be able to spend a nice, quiet afternoon here and not have to worry about getting turned out after half an hour. He bought a pork bun and an espresso, grabbed a few napkins, then found a small table in the back of the café that had a view of the front door and settled in to wait.

He turned on Gou’s mp3 player and put on the headphones before he started to eat. There was a playlist titled LISTEN TO THIS FIRST already pulled up on it, so he started the first song and set the player down on the table next to him. He ate leisurely – the food was excellent and the coffee even better – gazing abstractly out the front window while the cheery music played in his ears. It wasn’t particularly to his taste (though admittedly he would probably say the same of most music made in the last century or so), but it _was_ catchy, and Hazuki-san had a lovely voice.

He only noticed that he’d long since run out of food when the playlist ended. He glanced at his watch, then went back up to the counter and bought a melonpan and some hot barley tea (it _was_ his birthday, after all), then sat back down at his table and thumbed through the mp3 player. Apparently, there was nothing _but_ Hazuki-san’s music on it, sorted by album and into a series of playlists (“Big Hits,” “The Weird Sad Ones,” “Personal Faves,” and “Yeah, These Ones Aren’t That Great”). There was quite a bit of overlap between “Big Hits,” “Personal Faves,” and the playlist he’d already listened to, so he put on “The Weird Sad Ones” and sat back in his chair. There were only a few songs on the list, but they were all sweet and melancholy – very unlike anything on the first list, but lovely for the difference.

He broke off small pieces of the melonpan, eating it bit by bit as he listened. He knew from his research that morning that Hazuki-san didn’t write his own music (a discovery which he counted as one disastrous faux pas prematurely averted), but there was something different to the quality of his voice when he sang the sad songs. Rei rested his chin on his fist and listened until his tea went cold.

By the time the second playlist ended, it was just after two, and Rei had settled into a pleasant state of brooding, thoughtful and abstract but just shy of actually feeling sorry for himself. He turned off the mp3 player, wound the headphones around it and put it away, then carefully cleaned off his hands and took out the book Rin had bought him. It was a collection of translated short stories, all of them centering around birthdays, but mostly pensive and somber in tone. Rin probably hadn’t known it, but the weightiness of it felt right for the occasion. He tucked one knee up against his chest and folded the other underneath him, opened the book to the first page, and started reading.

* * *

Rei managed to make the single melonpan last all afternoon, but bought a fresh cup of tea every time he finished a story to justify his continued presence in the café. Around 5 o’clock the bakery started getting noticeably busier as rush hour started to hit, and by 5:30 he had mostly resigned himself to the fact that Hazuki-san wasn’t coming. He still had an hour and a half before his train was set to depart, though. He stared over at the door for a long moment, watching people come and go, then sighed and turned back to the last story in his book. It was the only original Murakami and his favorite in the collection, the story of a girl making a wish on the eve of her twentieth birthday. Sitting alone in the café on his own largely-uncelebrated birthday, it rang poignant in a way it hadn’t when he’d read it before, and by the time he finished it, he found himself thinking about wishes, and the way life went on after you made them – whether they came true or not.

He shut the book and set it on the table, breathed a sigh and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger before glancing at his watch. It was five minutes past six. But at least he’d tried. He’d made his wish and come ready to meet it, and that would have to be enough. He’d just buy himself something to eat for dinner, maybe apologize to one of the people working behind the counter for taking up a table for so long, then head for his train. He picked up the book and put it back in his bag, then stretched his arms over his head and yawned. It hadn’t been a bad day, at least. He finished the last dregs of his tea, then scooped the crumbs off the table and dusted his hands off over the teacup.

A commotion at the front of the bakery drew his attention, a few people drawing back as someone raced inside the front door.

Rei’s eyes went wide, and the next thing he knew, he was standing next to his table, taking a tentative step forward, because… it couldn’t be. But it _was_. It was _him_ , hurrying toward him, red-faced and disheveled and breathing hard, but irrefutably _him_. Rei’s mouth dropped open and he blinked.

For a long moment, they just stared at each other, standing as close together as the day they'd met. It was Hazuki-san that found his voice first, just barely managing a soft, awed, "Hi."

A blush bloomed across Rei's cheeks, and he found himself smiling as he said, stunned and delighted, "Hi." This was ridiculous. He felt like a giddy teenager. But he wasn't the only one smiling like a lovestruck idiot.

"I'm Hazuki Nagisa." He said it in a rush, loud and energetic, and then promptly went pink.

But Rei just smiled, "Ryuugazaki Rei. It's nice to finally meet you, Hazuki-san."

"Rei-chan!" Hazuki-san cooed, like he liked the sound of it, then giggled and bounced on his feet. Rei felt his face getting hotter. No one had used an endearment like that for him since he'd been a small child. "It's nice to meet you too! And just call me, 'Nagisa'!"

Rei couldn't help but drop his gaze. "Nagisa," he repeated, grinning down at his feet, almost dizzy with the intimacy of it. And then he shook his head, coming back to himself and realizing they were standing in the middle of the cafe just blushing and smiling at each other. "Would you like to sit? Have you eaten, or-?"

Nagisa was silent just long enough for Rei to wonder if he'd said something stupid - or if he maybe had something on his face, before he blurted, "Oh! Yeah! I'd- I'd love to sit." Almost before he'd finished speaking, he was already doing it, stuffing his hefty gym bag under the table and dropping down into one of the chairs. Rei sat down more slowly, scooting his chair back under the table and marveling at Nagisa as he fidgeted and settled into the seat across from him. He could hardly even believe this was really happening. "And, um," Nagisa said a bit more shyly, "I haven't really eaten yet. I just got out from work, so…" He trailed off, looking bashfully down at his lap, but before Rei could suggest that they get something to eat, Nagisa stiffened with surprise and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Sorry, it’s my manager. Is it okay if I just--?"

"Oh, yes, no, of course. Go right ahead," Rei said, then hastily added, "I don't mind." Honestly, he was grateful to have the opportunity to compose himself, still reeling as he was from the unreality of the situation.

While Nagisa looked down at his phone, tapping away furiously at the screen, Rei had a moment to watch him. He was wearing the flu mask again, but even with most of his face covered, he was still amazingly expressive, brows pressing down into a thoughtful frown, then raising in surprise, then abruptly contorting into anger before he turned the sound off on his phone and shoved it back into his pocket. When he looked back up at Rei, though, his eyes were sparkling and he said, cheerfully, "Hi."

"Hi…" Rei said slowly, quirking an eyebrow, "is everything okay?"

“Yeah! Totally fine. My manager’s just….” he started, then trailed off, waving his hands dismissively. "Anyway! Um! Happy birthday!" he said, leaning across the table towards him.

It took him by surprise how nice that felt, however quickly said, however unexpected; it made him feel warm from head to toe and flushed with unexpected pleasure.

Before he could say thank you, though, Nagisa plowed on, babbling hastily, "It's today, right? You said so when we first met - and in your post." He sucked in an abrupt breath, his expression contorting like he was trying to suppress a smile. "But I wanted to make sure," he finished in a rush.

Rei leaned his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand, unable to keep himself from staring. "Yeah," he said, once it seemed like Nagisa had finished, "it's today. Thank you."

"Yay!" Nagisa cheered. "I'm glad I got it right!" He reached half way across the table before stopping himself, and Rei smiled softly, laying his palm on the tabletop just close enough that their fingertips touched.

It was ridiculous. Childish. But even that little touch made him duck his head. "Uhm," he said inelegantly, "if you're hungry, the food here is really good, or…" He realized with a jolt that he had maybe half an hour to make his train, and that sometime between now and then, he was going to have to find out if Nagisa was going to come with him. "Or," he said, blushing furiously, "I think they sell food on the bullet train, too, if…" He couldn't even finish the sentence, just curled the tip of his index finger gently against Nagisa's, "My train leaves at 7:05."

Just saying it made him feel like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. It was too soon, too forward. As little as he knew about Nagisa, Nagisa knew even _less_ about him. His name, in fact, and that today was his birthday, and absolutely nothing else. But he'd showed up anyway, he realized. And not just showed up, but literally come running. When Nagisa took Rei's hand gently in his, it was like the world stopped for a moment. He looked up, forgetting his own self-consciousness, and found Nagisa's eyes sparkling with mischief. “The bento they sell on the bullet trains are really good," he said, giving Rei's hand a squeeze, "and that’s exactly what I’m craving right now.”

Rei suddenly felt lighter than air, found himself smiling so widely his face hurt. Because somehow, impossibly, this was really happening.

* * *

No one had followed Nagisa to the cafe, and if anyone recognized him, they hadn't approached him. But it took them long enough to gather up their belongings, laughing and blushing, that they wound up dashing through the station anyway, hand in hand, rushing to make the train on time.

They were a 20 minute ride from Tokyo Station, and it would be another two hours by bullet train before they got to Nagano, but by the time they dashed onto the first train - just as the doors were closing - Rei already felt like he was seeing stars.

He'd planned his departure to miss the evening rush hour, so while the train was far from empty, it at least wasn't totally packed. He let Nagisa take the last seat in their car and stood in front of him, holding onto the bar overhead. It was still too crowded to talk, though, and at the first stop, more people piled into the train, forcing Rei to inch a little closer to Nagisa. He shifted to one side, just so he wouldn't be looming over him, and glanced out the window to avoid staring straight down at him. After a minute, though, he felt Nagisa's foot bump gently against his.

At first, he thought it was an accident, but when he moved again, trying to give him some space, and Nagisa bumped their toes together again, he let out a surprised little laugh. It was the absolute mildest form of flirting - about all they _could_ do on a train, really - but when he tapped the side of his foot against Nagisa's, he caught the twinkle of a smile in Nagisa’s eyes before he dropped his gaze.

Two stops later, Rei's phone started dinging inside his bag.

"Sorry," he said, spreading his stance a little to get his balance before opening his bag and digging around inside it. "It's probably my roommate," he added, pulling out the phone and turning on the screen. Sure enough, there was a message from Rin, and more popped up while he was still reading the first one.

> Rin: finally made it 2 my hotel  
>  Rin: flight was a nightmare  
>  Rin: u wouldnt believe  
>  Rin: ill tell u about it 2morro  
>  Rin: anyway good news is i have a minibar!!!!

There was a short delay in the messages, and a moment later Rei’s phone loaded a picture of said minibar, a tiny bottle of champagne and an equally doll-sized bottle of tequila sitting side by side on the counter above it.

> Rin: which 1 are we drinking???

Rei couldn't help but chuckle as he typed: The champagne. We're on the train together right now. Glad you got in safe.

A moment later, Rin sent him a series of thumbs up and fistbump emojis, then a long line of champagne bottle emojis, then a simple "dont do anything i wouldnt do ;) ;) ;)"

 _Okay_ , he typed, _I promise I won't start crying._

Rin sent him a single middle finger emoji, and Rei had to muffle a snort of laughter.

"What're you grinning about, Rei-chan?"

Rei waved a hand, laughing, "It's nothing. He was just letting me know his flight got in safely." By the time he'd gotten his phone put away and his bag closed up, they were pulling into Tokyo Station. Rei took a step back as the train came to a stop and people started getting off, then held out a hand to help Nagisa up, "Shall we?"

* * *

The meteor shower really was magnificent. They weren't the only ones who had left the city to see it, but they'd managed to find an empty hillside all to themselves, and Rei had packed two thick blankets, one for them to sit on and one for them to huddle under against the cold.

The darkness this far away from the city was nearly complete except for the dazzling night sky, and despite the fact that they'd spent the whole train ride talking, their conversation had petered out into comfortable silence as they'd walked together from the station to the outskirts of town, and become something softer and more reverent as they'd laid out together to look up at the falling stars, fingers touching and then entwined beneath the blankets.

Rei had only packed a spare hat against the cold, but Nagisa evidently had an entire bag full of winter gear, and had dressed himself up like they were sprawled out in a snow bank rather than on a dew-kissed hillside. Even so, after an hour Rei caught him shivering. It didn't seem possible that he was _actually_ cold, but even if he wasn't, it was a good enough excuse. He scooted closer and curled his arm around Nagisa's shoulders. When Nagisa cuddled in against his side, resting his head on Rei's shoulder, he decided it had been the right thing to do.

Nagisa made small, excited noises every time a particularly bright meteor blazed by, poking one gloved hand out from under the blanket to point up at the vast, star-filled sky to murmur some variant of _did you see?_ or _look!_ From anyone else, he might have been bothered by the distraction, but Rei counted it as an excuse to look down at him, to see his expression light up with the most pure, undiluted joy he'd ever seen on another person's face.

They'd already been outside for almost two hours when Nagisa said, suddenly, “Don’t look over here. I’m gonna use my phone real quick.”

Rei started to protest, but when he saw Nagisa already had his phone in his hand, he quickly squinched his eyes shut and looked away.

He wrinkled his nose, ready to complain that Nagisa could _probably_ stand to stay off his phone a little longer when Nagisa said, “Oh! There’s only 15 minutes left before your birthday’s over, Rei-chan! We should do something to commemorate!”

Rei turned to him abruptly, surprised, forgetting that he was supposed to be keeping his eyes closed. As far as he was concerned, they'd already more than commemorated - this was easily the best birthday he'd had in years. But Nagisa seemed entirely genuine about it, humming thoughtfully to himself.

“I’ve got it!" Nagisa said suddenly. "Okay, hang on for a sec. I need to make a call.” And it was too bizarre even to feel like an interruption to their evening; Rei couldn't do anything but gape as Nagisa dialed his phone and put it to his ear.

Even sitting as close together as they were, he couldn't make out the other side of the conversation, but from what he could hear, Nagisa was checking in with "Mako-chan" - his manager, if Rei remembered right. Apparently he'd been the one to supply Nagisa with his warm weather clothes (and a blanket and a few chemical warming packs), and had had _something_ to do with Nagisa finding Rei's message and meeting up with him.

He wasn't sure what any of it had to do with commemorating his birthday, though, right up until Nagisa said, “By the way, Mako-chan, I wanted to ask you a question--I was wondering if it’d be okay if I announced the fact that I found Rei-chan and posted about it on the blog? It’s just going to be a picture and a quick line and stuff.”

Rei's shoulders stiffened in surprise. A picture? That seemed like an incredibly bad idea. Absolutely awful, in fact. If a vague blog post and a missed connections listing had gotten him north of three hundred messages (the last time he'd checked, right after he'd left the airport), what in the _world_ would having his picture posted on Nagisa's website do?  His worries from that morning came crashing down around him all over again. He liked Nagisa a lot - really, genuinely liked him - enough, he thought, to run the risk of orbiting his celebrity. But it had only been one night, and-

“Phew! Okay,” Nagisa said, turning off his phone and tucking it back in his pocket. “I got permission from Mako-chan, so let’s take a commemorative picture together!”

He froze, unsure how to politely decline without completely ruining the moment. He was singing with tension, enough that he was sure Nagisa could feel it, pressed up so close against him.

"Rei-chan?" Nagisa asked, his voice soft and small.

"Uhm," he said, trying not to let it show how nervous he felt. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he added carefully, "I mean…" He didn't want to say, _this is only our first date_ , because he wanted there to be more. And he didn't want to say, _I don't want to get mauled by your fans_ because, well, that was a conversation for when they _weren't_ sitting under a brilliant sky, only minutes from midnight, the last seconds of his birthday draining away. He wanted to end it on a high note, to-

Nagisa looked up at him, a small crinkle of confusion – or maybe worry – between his brows. For a moment, Rei stopped thinking. Then Nagisa brightened a little and said, “Don’t worry, Rei-chan. It’ll just be a picture of our hands! See? Like this.” He held his hand up above his head, fingers splayed, a dark silhouette against the starry sky, and Rei's anxiety flowed out of him in a rush. He hadn't meant a picture of their faces at all. “I won’t put your name up on the post or anything either," Nagisa explained quickly. "I just want to let my fans know that I found you.”

He turned and looked down at Nagisa, his worry turned to awe, because of course - of course this was something to celebrate, and of course Nagisa wouldn't do anything to put him in harm's way; of course he knew how to navigate the terrain of his own fame, even if Rei didn't. And it was scary, still, the sheer depth of what he was getting himself into, but when Nagisa smiled up at him, his expression soft and reassuring, he couldn't help but feel like it was going to be okay. "Like this?" he asked, holding his hand up, palm splayed against the sky the way Nagisa's was. Looking up like this, the sky seemed close enough to touch, like he could close his hands around the lights streaking down toward the horizon.

"Like this," Nagisa said, flashing a peace sign up at the stars.

"Like this?" Rei asked, cupping his hand into half a heart.

It was probably the single cheesiest thing he'd ever done, and he said it half-teasingly, but when he glanced over at Nagisa to gauge his reaction, he found him grinning just as widely as he was. "Just like that," he said, curving his hand to complete the heart, a perfect silhouette against the bright sky. Nagisa turned his phone back on and navigated to the camera app, then carefully lifted it above his head, balancing it precariously on his fingertips. Nagisa's nose crinkled and he stuck out his tongue in concentration as he angled his phone, trying to get the shot just right, "Okay, okay," he mumbled, trying to tap the screen without dropping or shaking the phone. The camera clicked once, and then twice, and then half a dozen more times before a warm, satisfied smile spread over Nagisa's face and he said, "There. Looks good."

But Rei wasn't looking at the picture. He was looking at Nagisa, filled with a sudden rush of affection, swept up in Nagisa's desire to mark the moment - to make it memorable - as the last minutes of his birthday ticked away. He laced his fingers gently between Nagisa's, giving his hand a squeeze, and murmured softly, "Hey, Nagisa?"

"Hm?" Nagisa murmured, turning to face him, still wearing that soft, sweet smile. He was absolutely breathtaking.

Rei leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips.

He felt Nagisa's surprise, a moment of stillness, before he squeezed Rei's hand and started kissing him back, slow and gentle. It was impossibly tender, made his heart flutter like his chest was full of butterflies, warmed him down to his toes. After a moment, he drew back, searching Nagisa's eyes, a little needle of doubt worrying at the back of his mind, "Was that…" he started, then realized he couldn't hold Nagisa's gaze. He glanced down at his lips, which wasn't better. "Is this okay?" he asked quietly.

Almost before he'd finished asking, Nagisa closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together and kissing him again, this time more firmly, more certain. Rei made a quiet sound of surprise before melting into the kiss, tipping his head to one side and leaning into him. And it was so much more than okay. It was wonderful. It was perfect. Then Nagisa shifted against him and touched his tongue gently to Rei’s bottom lip. Rei let out a soft gasp and parted his lips willingly, drawn into the warmth of Nagisa’s mouth. He met him half way, touching the tip of his tongue gently, tentatively to Nagisa’s, and Nagisa didn’t hesitate, kissing him back soft and slow and languid. Rei breathed a quiet, pleasured sigh and squeezed Nagisa’s hand a little tighter, dizzy with contentment.

When Nagisa finally drew back, it was with a giddy little giggle and a shy smile, flushed and happy and just a little breathless, so sweet it made Rei’s heart ache. He gave Rei another quick peck, then said, "That was very okay." He squeezed Rei’s hand and cuddled closer against him, murmuring against his neck, "Happy birthday, Rei-chan."

**Author's Note:**

> theshannonlewis on twitter and tumblr! Hit me up!


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